1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic shut off valve adapted to be disposed in a conduit for a flowing medium which may be a liquid or a gas.
2. Description of the Art
Many, if not most consumers of natural gas (or any other flowing substance) would prefer a safety device that would automatically shut off the flow of gas (or liquid) in the event of any rupture in the conduit, thereby causing the supplied quantity of the flowing medium to increase abruptly.
Heretofore a wide variety of automatic shut off, excess flow, globe, and pipe rupture valves have been proposed and implemented for such reasons.
One such valve, The Excess Flow Valve in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,001 to Sandin, Jun. 6, 1978, consisted of a valve disc with a two-arm lever. In the event of a discrepancy in flowing medium, said valve would close rapidly. Users regarded this type of valve as unsatisfactory because once engaged someone skilled and trained would be required to reset it.
Other such valves employ numerous movable parts to perform the required function, therefore, requiring some skill or training on part of said users and also increasing the likelihood of failure due to failed parts.
Most users, therefore, would find it desirable to have a valve which provides a simpler construction without sacrificing functions, and which provides somewhat different features and mode of operation.